Retainer assumptions
Price both delivery time and the operational cost of maintaining the relationship.
Recurring work
Monthly retainer calculator
Price committed delivery capacity, recurring meetings, availability, discounts, payment fees, and overage work without quietly dropping below your rate floor.
Calculated in browser
Retainer design
Do not sell a discounted pile of hours
A retainer should exchange predictable revenue for clearly bounded access, capacity, or recurring outcomes—not unlimited work.
Name what is included
List deliverables, meetings, support channels, response windows, and work that requires a separate statement of work.
Price the reservation
Holding calendar capacity has an opportunity cost even when every included hour is not consumed.
Define what happens next
Specify approval, overage pricing, rollover rules, and whether unused capacity expires.
Related tools
Continue the pricing workflow
Rate & project quote
Turn an income goal into a sustainable rate, then build a scoped client quote.
Open calculator →Effective hourly rate
Measure what a completed engagement truly paid after every hour and cost.
Open calculator →Payment fee calculator
Estimate net proceeds or gross up an invoice to cover processing fees.
Open calculator →Project profitability
Compare planned and actual hours, margin, break-even price, and target price.
Open calculator →